Chemically heated liquid container



July 4, 1944. A. GERIA CHEMICALLY HEATED LIQUID CONTAINER Filed Aug. 2'7. 1941 Patented July 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHEMICALLY HEATED! LIQUID CONTAINER Andrew Geria, Ridgefleld, Conn.

Application August 27, 1941, Serial No. 408,449

1 Claim.

This invention relates to chemically heated liquid containers, and more particularly to those used in the art of skin and hair reconditioning therapy, wherein various curative oils or other liquid preparations are heated prior to application in order that they may be more easily spread and absorbed into the parts to be treated.

Heretofore there has been no entirely satisfactory method of heating such liquids to the proper temperature and for thereafter keeping the temperature within a proper range to prevent the liquids from thickening and reducing their power to penetrate deeply into portions of the hair, skin, or scalp under treatment. Prior practice has consisted in heating the liquids in separate containers of the open type, from which the heatedliqulds were removed by dipping cotton wadding thereinto and then transferring the liquid to the part to be treated. Obviously, this method of application was both clumsy and unsanitary even when employed by professional operators, and had the additional fault that the liquid could not be kept at the proper temperature.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to overcome the foregoing disadvantages, by providing simple, sanitary, and efllcient means for heating the curative liquid to the required temperature and to thereafter maintain it at that temperature over a sufficiently long period to enable the treatment to be satisfactorily completed. For this purpose there is provided a suitable container which may be in the form of a collapsible tube. Into the mouth end of the tube there is suspended a small receptacle containing a heat producing chemical material, preferably of the type which is activated by contact with water. The arrangement is such that the closure cap of the tube holds the chemical receptacle in position partially submerged in the liquid to be heated within the tube. After introducing a small quantity of water into the receptacle to start the chemical action, the cap is replaced to seal both the liquid contents of the tube and the heating action within the receptacle. This reduces heat losses to a minimum and insures that substantially all of the heat generated within the chemical receptacle is transferred through the walls thereof and into the body of liquid to be heated. In this form of the invention the tube is provided adjacent its lower end with a weakened or impressed line along which the tube may be torn open slightly to permit the fluid contents to be dispensed as needed during the course of a treatment. This allows the remaining portion of the liquid to be protected within the confines of the tube where it remains heated during the required period of time necessary to finish the work.

The foregoing heating instrumentalities may also be incorporated in a glass or other containers such as plastic materials, thereby doing away with the need of using such metals as aluminum, tin, and zinc, etc, which are ordinarily employed in the manufacture of collapsible tubes. In both of the above cases the devices are simple in construction and inexpensive to produce, and, in the interest of sanitation, all are to be discarded after use.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a receptacle containing a chemical heating material.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

In the drawing, and with particular reference to Fig. 1, the numeral l0 indicates a container made of flexible or deformable material such as any one of the various metals used for collapsible tubes. The container I 0 is provided with a mouth H defined by an upstanding neck portion 12 which is externally threaded at I3 to receive the internally threaded portion ll of a closure cap IS.

The container I0 may be closed at its bottom edges I6 in any suitable manner such as by flattening and folding upon itself or by providing the bottom edges I with a U-shaped reenforcement strip l8 according to well known practice. A measured quantity of liquid preparation I! of the kind used in connection with the treatment of hair, skin, or scalp, is disposed within the container i0, and is adapted to be heated therein to reduce its viscosity and bring it to the proper temperature to secure the best results when applied to the parts to be treated.

For supplying heat to the fluid I9 there is provided a receptacle 20 having a tubular wall 2| closed at its bottom 22 and having its upper end flared outward to form a peripheral flange 23 adapted to rest on the top flattened'edge 24 of the neck portion l2. The diameter of the mouth ll of the container I0 is preferably of a size only slightly larger than the receptacle 20, so that there is a relatively close fitting of the parts. It is evident from the foregoing construction that when the cap i5 is screwed down tightly to bring its flat surface fl against the flange 28, the receptacle 20 will be suspended in the fluid i9, and a tight seal will be provided to close the flanged end of the receptacle and the mouth of the container l against escape of the liquid i9.

Any appropriate heat producing material 18, preferably of the water activated variety, may be enclosed within the receptacle 20 for heating the surrounding liquid preparation I 9.

Two examples of chemical formulas suitable for the purpose are given as follows:

Parts Powdered aluminum 2 Copper carbonate (CuCOa) 4 Oxalic acid 3 Barium chloride 3 Parts Powdered iron 8 Ammonium chloride 1 Manganese dioxide 10 Calcium chloride 1 There are many other suitable heat generating chemical combinations which may be used. In general, any formula will be satisfactory which is capable of bringing the treating preparation, usually about one half ounce, to a temperature of about 160 F. This has been found adequate to thin the liquid to the right consistency to insure proper spreading and penetration into the parts to be treated, and without discomfort.

The chemical material 26 is preferably molded in the shape of an elongated cartridge or pellet as indicated in the drawing, providing a slight space 21 between the pellet and the adjacent inner wall of the receptacle 20.

When it is desired to heat the liquid IS, the cap I is removed and a small quantity of water is introduced into the receptacle 20 through its flanged opening. The cap is next replaced and screwed tightly upon the threaded end of the container ID to seal the same against escape of the liquid l9 and heated gases generated by the chemical action. This action is accelerated by reason of the easy access of the water in the space 21 around the chemical. During the heating period the container may be placed on its side or in any other position, for instance on a table or shelf. Upon termination of the heating period the container is inverted to bring the capped end to the bottom, and is then torn open along a weakened line 28 sufficiently to permit the liquid I9 to be poured or expelled therefrom and applied as needed to the part to be treated.

In the example illustrated in Fig. 3, a glass or plastic container 30 is substituted for the collapsible one previously described. The container 30 is similarly provided with a chemical holding receptacle 3| closed at its bottom 32 and flanged at its upper end 33 to be seated on a flat edge 34. The receptacle 3| is held in place beneath a washer 35 by means of a threaded cap 36 screwed onto the threaded neck 31. A pellet 38 of heat producing chemicals is disposed within the receptacle as in the prior example, and a space 39 provided to give easy access of the water to the chemical pellet ll when it is desired to raise the temperature of the fluid M.

For best results after introducing the water (a few drops) into the chemical receptacle, the container 30 should be inverted and allowed to stand in that position a few minutes. Upon termination of the heating period the container is turned to its original upstanding position, the cap 36 unscrewed, the receptacle 3| removed, and the heated liquid 40 dispensed as required.

In each of the above noted types of containers the heat developed in the chemical is quickly transferred to the treating preparation surrounding the heating tube, thus bringing said preparation to the proper temperature and consistency for the most effectual spreading and penetration into the part to be treated.

The devices are inexpensive to manufacture and will be found by the professional and nonprofessional user to be both simple and eilective in their applications, and to possess the important advantage that they are discarded after use. This insures that all treatments by this method are carried out under the most sanitary conditions.

It is understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction herein described, but may be embodied in numerous variations thereof within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent:

A device for heating liquid preparations for treating the hair and skin, having only two compartments one of which comprises a collapsible easily rupturable container having a. mouth surrounded by an externally threaded neck portion, the other compartment comprising an elongated receptacle extending through said mouth and into a liquid preparation in the outer container, said elongated receptacle being closed at one end and provided at its other end with an outwardly directed radial flange adapted to rest on the mouth edge of said neck portion, a normally inactive heat producing chemical substance disposed with in said receptacle, said chemical substance being adapted to be activated by a fluid when introduced into the receptacle through its flanged end, and an internally threaded closure cap threaded on said threaded neck portion, said threaded connection of the cap to the neck of the container being effective to clamp said receptacle in position within the container and provide a seal for the mouth of said container and the flanged end of said chemical receptacle, the radial flange of said heating receptacle being clear of the threads of the closure cap, whereby upon removing said cap by unscrewing from the threaded neck of the liquid container an activating fluid may be introduced into the receptacle through the flanged end thereof from an outside source and the heating receptacle may be removed from the container to permit the heated liquid to be dispensed from the'container through the mouth thereof, or the cap restored to its sealing position on the threaded neck and the heated liquid then dispensed from the container by breaking through the easily rupturable wall thereof.

ANDREW GERIA. 

